“Do you know the legend about cicadas? They say they are the souls of poets who cannot keep quiet because, when they were alive, they never wrote the poems they wanted to.” ~ John Berger, author (Photo by Roger Meissen)
It’s an amazing event that only occurs in North America. Periodical cicadas live underground for 13 and 17 years, and then in one mass reproduction cession the crawl out of the ground and take to the trees. They will come out in the thousands, and it can be very overwhelming because these insects will make a lot of noise for several weeks. This year the periodical cicadas will emerge in Kansas City and Cape Girardeau.
Today’s guest is Bruce Barrett, entomologist for University of Missouri Extension. He has lots of information about these fascinating insects and this amazing event.

 
 
Periodical Cicadas in Missouri